A new industry-backed report reveals that major corporations — including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Coca-Cola — are now actively demanding binding global regulations to curb plastic production. This push follows the collapse of U.N. treaty negotiations in Geneva, where nations failed to agree on a legally enforceable plastics treaty. According to the report, global plastic production has surged past 400 million tonnes annually, with packaging alone accounting for over 40% of plastic waste. Companies warn that without strict rules, plastic leakage into oceans could triple by 2040, reaching nearly 29 million tonnes per year, devastating marine ecosystems and threatening food security.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business adds that companies representing about 20% of the world’s plastic packaging market have already tripled their recycled content use between 2018 and 2024. However, the report stresses that industry progress is still “too slow and uneven” without government intervention. It notes that plastic pollution costs the global economy an estimated $300–500 billion annually through ecosystem damage, lost tourism, flooding, and health impacts from microplastics — now detected in human blood, placentas, and vital organs. Companies argue that harmonised global standards would speed innovation, cut pollution, reduce long-term economic loss, and keep them from navigating a confusing patchwork of national policies. More